Students talk about a recent trip to Mallorca, practice telling the story with past tenses, and recycle travel phrases like soak up the sun and beach outfits. They also review and use vocabulary for security, technology, and appearance through matching, fill-in-the-blanks, short speaking tasks, and a short writing prompt.
B2 Upper intermediate60 minutesEnglishTeacher
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1. Speaking
Speaking focus
Ask the student to describe her trip to Mallorca. Encourage past tenses for storytelling and vacation vocabulary such as beach, sun, hotel, sightseeing, and beach outfits. Prompt follow-up questions about what she did, what she ate, the weather, and her best memory.
Class speaking activity — read, then practise aloud with your teacher or partner
Tell me about your trip to Mallorca.
S
Start with a short story
where you stayed, who you went with, and what you did each day. Try to use past tenses naturally as you tell the story.
Useful ideas to include:
the weather
what you ate and drank
what you wore on the beach
how you relaxed and what you enjoyed most
T
Try to use phrases like
soak up the sun, beach outfits, sightseeing, hotel, beach, and best memory.
Follow-up questions:
What was the best part of the trip?
Did anything unexpected happen?
What did you do on your first day?
What did you wear when you went out?
Would you go back to Mallorca? Why or why not?
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2. Grammar
Grammar focus
Past Simple and Past Continuous for storytelling
Past tenses for storytelling
When we tell a story about the past, we often use Past Simple, Past Continuous, and sometimes Past Perfect. These tenses help us show what happened, what was happening, and what had already happened before another past event.
1) Past Simple: finished actions
Use the Past Simple for completed actions in the past, one after another.
Form:
Positive: subject + past verb
Negative: subject + did not + base verb
Question: Did + subject + base verb?
Examples:
I visited Palma last week.
We walked along the beach in the evening.
She didn’t forget her beach outfits.
Did you soak up the sun every day?
2) Past Continuous: background actions
Use the Past Continuous for actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past or for background actions in a story.
Form:
Positive: subject + was/were + verb-ing
Negative: subject + was/were not + verb-ing
Question: Was/Were + subject + verb-ing?
Examples:
We were sitting on the beach when the wind changed.
I was packing my suitcase while my friend called.
They weren’t swimming because the sea was rough.
Was she wearing her favourite beach outfit?
3) Past Perfect: earlier past action
Use the Past Perfect when you want to show that one past action happened before another past action.
Form:
subject + had + past participle
Examples:
By the time we arrived, the sun had already set.
I had forgotten my sunglasses, so I bought new ones.
She was tired because she had walked all day.
How these tenses work together
In storytelling, we often combine the three tenses:
Past Perfect = what happened first
Past Continuous = what was happening in the background
Past Simple = the main events
Example story:
We had booked the hotel before we flew to Mallorca.
While we were driving to the coast, it started to rain.
Later, we found a quiet beach and soaked up the sun.
Common mistakes
Wrong:I was visit Mallorca last summer.
Correct: I visited Mallorca last summer.
Wrong:While we swam, we took photos.
Better: While we were swimming, we took photos.
Wrong:I had went to the beach before breakfast.
Correct: I had gone to the beach before breakfast.
Wrong:Did you went out at night?
Correct:Did you go out at night?
Quick reminder
Use Past Simple for the main events, Past Continuous for background actions, and Past Perfect for the earlier past. In a trip story, this helps your listener follow the sequence clearly.
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3. Word ordering
Teacher preview — use the slider to move between sentences and try the task as students see it.
Put the words in the correct order to make a sentence.
Sentence 1 / 4
Your sentence
Tap words to place them here
Word bank
Sentence 1 of 4: 0 / 6 words placed
Answer key (teachers only)
Students do not see this. Add or update questions and answers below the activity.
Slide 1I soaked up the sun yesterday.
Slide 2We were walking to the beach.
Slide 3She bought new beach outfits.
Slide 4I had already packed my suitcase.
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Complete the sentences with the correct words or phrases. On the first day in Mallorca, we managed to by the pool for hours. I packed three different because I wanted something casual and something a little nicer for dinner. The hotel had several near the entrance, so I felt very safe. The security guard used a to speak to the receptionist. They thought someone was trying to enter the building, but it turned out to be an who left quickly. The website had a small , so I couldn’t upload my photos at first. When the alarm sounded, the guests decided to the area immediately. My friend said the hotel rules reminded her to keep her room tidy and respect the staff.
Answer key (teachers only)
Students do not see this. Add or update questions and answers below the activity.
Blank 1soak up the sun
Blank 2beach outfits
Blank 3surveillance cameras
Blank 4walkie-talkie
Blank 5intruder
Blank 6glitch
Blank 7flee
Blank 8strict
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Ask the student to use the target words in short personalized answers. Include prompts about security at home or work, a technical problem, a strict teacher or manager, and changing hairstyle. Encourage natural follow-up questions and corrections.
Class speaking activity — read, then practise aloud with your teacher or partner
Talk about the words and use them in short, natural answers.
Security and technology: What do surveillance cameras do? Have you ever seen a walkie-talkie used at work or on holiday?
Problems and reactions: Describe a time when a glitch caused a problem. What did you do when something went wrong?
Rules and behaviour: Where are strict rules important? What kinds of people might commit a crime and then flee?
People and reputation: Who is infamous in history, film, or the news? What makes someone memorable for the wrong reasons?
Memory and communication: What does it mean to remind someone about something? Who usually reminds you of important things?
Body and appearance: Has your eyesight changed over time? Do you prefer bangs, a hair clip, or a headband? Why?
Hair and style: Have you ever decided to grow out your hair? What was the hardest part of that process?
Vacation link: Imagine you were on a beach in Mallorca after a long day in the sun. What beach outfits did you wear, and how did you soak up the sun?
Try to answer in 2–4 sentences each. Use at least one target word in every answer, and add a follow-up detail if possible.
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Ask the student to write a short paragraph about her Mallorca vacation using past tenses and at least five vocabulary items from the lesson. Include a few details about what she did, what she wore, and one memorable event.
Aim for at least 70 words.
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Review the most useful words from the lesson and ask the student which ones she can use immediately. End by having her retell one Mallorca memory using past tenses and two or three target words.
Class speaking activity — read, then practise aloud with your teacher or partner
Talk about your Mallorca trip again, but this time focus on the most useful language from today’s lesson.
Choose 3–5 words or phrases you can use immediately.
Explain one Mallorca memory using past tenses.
Include at least two target words from the lesson.
Say which words were easy, useful, or new for you.
Try to speak naturally and build a short, clear story.
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